The Archivist
by Megan1289
Summary: Cybertron is still rebuilding five years after the final battle with Unicron. Something, or someone, has inhabited the ruins of the great Iacon Hall of Records. A ghost. Or is it?- No OCs, Alternate Universe where the events of RiD don't happen, Ideas borrowed from G1
1. Chapter 1

The ruins were dank and dusty. Little light shown in through the armor-plated windows, put in to defend the great library from Decepticon siege. Blaster marks riddled the walls and pillars. The air was still. Very still. It was like the Iacon hall had been frozen in time. Smokescreen could barely recognize it as the place where he spent his days with Alpha Trion.

"I still can't believe the Decepticons did so much damage, even when seeing the remains myself." Bumblebee stopped, eyeing the many fallen-over shelves.

"Are we getting close to his chamber?"

"Yeah." Smokescreen replied, his stance becoming more taut.

The two walked onwards. They soon approached a large door, covered in scorch marks, and riddled with holes.

"Are you sure you want to go in there?" Bumblebee asked the recruit. "I can do this alone-"

"No, I'm. . . I'm fine. No problem." He answered, but his servos shook.

Bumblebee slid the door to the side. They peered inwards.

Datapads, working and active, were piled onto small shelves that lined the walls, filling the room with a soft blue glow. The chamber was quite orderly. A chair was propped in the corner, along with a makeshift table, made from a shelf that could not be repaired. Any excess wreckage had been cleared, and holes had been mended. The only thing that didn't seem to be functioning properly was Alpha Trion's old computer.

"But. . . the 'Cons pillaged this place! They destroyed everything. . . I-I saw it!" Smokescreen's optics clouded.

Bumblebee put a reassuring servo on his shoulder. "Hey, let's see what's going on before we freak out, alright?"

"Right. Right." Smokescreen took a deep breath.

They entered the chamber and inspected the nearly-full shelves. Almost every shelf had a label. Events of the war, Before the war, and After the war were the labels that had the most shelves. Others were based on Cybertronian culture, arts, and people of note.

"The Hall didn't have records of events during the war, let alone after it. This is recent work." Bumblebee noted, picking up a datapad from a lower shelf. He looked through the pages. "The siege of Iacon. . part 2. Interesting."

"Hey, is this a book on. . . the Combaticons? Like, the combiner group?" Smokescreen snorted. "Weird."

A datapad hit the floor, making him flinch. He turned around. There was a datapad in the center of the room. It hadn't been there when they came in.

Smokescreen eyed his partner nervously. "Bee? Did you drop that?"

"No."

He walked over and picked it up.

"What does it say?" Bumblebee approached as well.

"Hang on, my Cybertronian's a bit rusty. . ."

 **I see you've finally found me.**

The two stood in silence for a moment, before Smokescreen set the otherwise empty Data pad down.

"What- or who - do you think that was?" He asked.

Before Bumblebee could answer, the datapad disappeared.

"What?" He took a step back.

"Did you just see that? Because I did." Smokescreen replied. "Please tell me I'm not crazy."

Just then, it reappeared.

"Holy slag. . ." Smokescreen said.

Bumblebee picked up the datapad

 **Forgotten me already?  
I don't blame you.**

"Who are you?" Bumblebee asked. He pushed the datapad slightly forward, as a notion for the being on the other end of the datapad to answer to answer. It disappeared again, and came back, reading:

 **A ghost- But why would it matter to you?**

Smokescreen was in awe. "By the Allspark, we're getting a response from a fragging ghost. This is so cool."

"Did you write all of these?" Bumblebee ignored Smokescreen's comment and gestured to the shelves surrounding them.

 **Yes. This is what I've been doing all these years. Feel free to browse.**

The datapad then disappeared for the last time as Bumblebee set it down.

"A ghost. That doesn't make any sense!" Smokescreen whispered.

"Let's read through what they've written." Bumblebee suggested. "We might find some hints in data."

They picked up several datapads and started reading. The writing was in an omniscient perspective; whoever wrote them did not want to associate himself with either side. But Bumblebee was starting to notice a slight pattern.

"Hey Smokescreen, take a look at this." He motioned the recruit over.

It took Smokescreen a little to put his datapad down. "What is it?"

"Look at this." Bumblebee pointed to a line of text. "This is the battle of Crystal City. You see how the author completely glosses over the invention of the Autobot war cry? The famous 'Till all are One'?"

"Yeah. But what does that mean?"

"Whoever wrote this didn't know about that."

"A Decepticon?"

"Exactly."

"We should really tell-" Smokescreen was cut off by a comm. link call. He stepped back and answered

"Yes?"

"Smokescreen!" He flinched at the sound of Ultra Magnus's voice blaring through his comm. "You were supposed to report back to the Nemesis twenty-five minutes ago. Where are you?"

"You need to see it to believe it, Ultra. Someone's restoring the Iacon archives!" He replied.

"What?" Ultra Magnus was confused.

"Yeah! Bumblebee and I were walking through the main corridor, and like- you know what? I think you have to see it for yourself. Come on over and we'll show you what we found."

"Is it that important?" Ultra Magnus asked. "I've got a ship- no, and entire _planet_ to run."

Smokescreen glanced over at Bumblebee. He nodded.

"Bumblebee says it's pretty important." Smokescreen smirked.

There was a pause. "Alright then. I'm coming."

A Groundbridge opened outside of the chamber. Smokescreen and Bumblebee walked over to meet their commander.

"Well, show me already. I have other things to do." Ultra Magnus said.

"In here." Bumblebee motioned.

Soon, Ultra Magnus was making the same face Smokescreen had when he saw the shelves full of Data pads.

"Who wrote all this?"

"We managed to establish contact with the writer, over a. . . datapad. And the information we got was very cryptic." Bumblebee answered. "He acted like he knew us, and called himself a ghost."

"Have you learned anything else about this 'ghost'?"

"We think he was a Decepticon." Smokescreen said.

Ultra Magnus took a final look around. "Come back to the Nemesis and we'll discuss your findings further."

Soundwave watched as they left his chamber, shocked that they had forgotten him in only five year's time. . .


	2. Chapter 2

Knockout hummed quietly as he cleaned the familiar tools of the Medbay, even though they already sparkled in the dim lighting. He couldn't help it. It was a habit he had picked up during the war; instead of violence or drinking to help cope, he cleaned. Many Decepticons had laughed at this odd quirk, but they had quickly learned to leave the medic alone while he was doing it. Especially when he was handling sharp medical instruments.

Knockout sighed and looked down at the scalpel he was polishing. The light glinted off of it and onto a nearby wall. He put it down in its proper place before deciding that he should probably stop wasting time. He went over and locked the Medbay door.

He decided to visit his old friend (Or project, he amused.) Breakdown's body should be where he left it last. He changed the song he was humming as he dragged the huge lump out of the closet and on to the medical berth. To his dismay, the body still leaked a little Dark Energon.

 _I thought I cleaned him out last time!_ He sighed. _That stuff must multiply or something. I'll look into that._

He opened up the chest plates to reveal the inner workings that Silas had stuffed into Breakdown's dead body. Knockout shivered in disgust at the memory as he started sawing away at the clunky human tech. There was nothing he wanted more than to give his loyal friend a proper burial, but that wasn't possible as long as M.E.C.H. still had its mark on his frame.

He started talking, of course. He hadn't seen his friend in a long time, and they had to catch up.

"How's it going, Breakdown? Is the Allspark as good as we both thought?"

"Shame I couldn't be there with you. I mean, when my time comes, of course. Right now I'm a little hesitant." He chuckled. "But I bet it's nicer in there. Have you found the rest of the Stunticons yet? I bet they've been dying to see you again. Ha! I'm so funny. Sorry."

An empty silence hung in the room.

"Anyway. . I bet you're interested in how being an 'Autobot' is going. Not well, I tell you. Though not as bad as. . you know what? I'm not going to talk about those days. The Autobots aren't that bad; just different. So much freedom! I can go whenever I want, whenever I want. Back to Earth? No problem. Just here on Cybertron? Just need to make the call. They have a Vehicon manning the Groundbridge at all times. Oh, you'd like the system they have set up with the Vehicons. . ."

The chat went on for a couple hours. Knockout was pleased with the amount of progress he made. The center chamber where the human had controlled Breakdown was almost clear.

He heard footsteps coming towards the Medbay, making him flinch. He picked up the body and disposed it in the closet. He cursed to himself as he hastily cleaned the Dark Energon off his servos.

The door pinged. Someone was using the emergency override. The door slid open.

"Knockout!" Ultra Magnus thundered in. "I told you not to lock the Medbay doors! What if there is an emergency? Do you want one of us to die?!"

"My L- sir! I-I can explain!" Knockout's optics went wide.

"What are you doing? Get up off the floor."

Knockout realized he was bowing. He froze, before stumbling up into a tight salute.

"You need to stop with the excess dramatics." Ultra Magnus stared coldly. "Do you think I'm going to beat you or something?"

"Um. . . no sir. Not at all. Why would I ever think that?" Knockout half-laughed.

The commander sighed. "I would like to remind you that I am no Megatron. You should not have a breakdown every time I raise my voice."

"Yes sir."

"Good." Ultra Magnus began walking out of the room. He paused. "And please, remember to keep the Medbay doors unlocked in the future."

Knockout relaxed. He waited until Ultra Magnus was safely out of view before opening his comm.

"Ground bridge control, I need off this ship. Got anywhere good?"

The Vehicon on the other end of the line was a lot more hesitant than usual. "Could you give me exact coordinates?"

"Just get me a bridge!" Knockout was close to losing it. "Reuse coordinates if you have to."

"Alright, alright. You need to chill." The Vehicon replied. "I got some interesting coordinates here. Bee and Smoky went on a patrol here yesterday. They said it leads to the archive or something-"

"Just open the bridge, please."

A pattern of greens and blues swirled to life in front of him. Knockout went through the bridge to find himself standing in the ruined Iacon Hall of Records. He knew this place from the history books, of course, but he wasn't part of the siege. He nearly tripped over some remaining rubble as he began walking forward.

At the far end of the hall, a door was open. A soft blue glow poured out. He headed towards it. This had to be the "archive" they referred to. He entered the room.

Something was off. His doors twitched. He had heard the rumors circulating around the Nemesis about some sort of Decepticon ghost haunting the halls, but he didn't believe them. Until now.

"Hello?" His voice echoed throughout the room.

A datapad appeared in front of him. He flinched.

"Mother of Primus!" He stepped back. "What the. . ."

Datapads flying out of nowhere? That was new. Knockout's instincts were screaming that he should run. But where would he go? Not back to the Nemesis, that's for sure.

Out of sheer stupidity (or courage?) he picked up the datapad and quickly read over it.

 **Hello again, Knockout. Welcome to the new Iacon database.**

He promptly dropped it and took three more steps back. As soon as the datapad hit the floor though, it disappeared. It then returned. Knockout took a deep breath before approaching it again.

 **I was wondering when you would come. We've both been lonely.**

"How do you know that?!" Knockout asked into the silence.

 **The cameras are still in operation, aren't they?**

"You hacked the cameras aboard the Nemesis?" He asked.

 **Not quite. . .**

Knockout shook his head and walked away from the datapad, unsure of what to make of that whole exchange. He started to browse the shelves of datapads that lined the room. Row after row of knowledge, and apparently the ghost had written all of this. He had never known anyone with such good memory.

He leaned towards the culture section. Anyone who could remember anything of Cybertron's long lost culture must have a startlingly accurate memory. Art, fashion, language. . . _wait, language?_

He grabbed the datapad off the shelf. He sat down on the floor and began reading.

While the Cybertronian written language had been preserved, the spoken language of the Cybertronian race had been long since forgotten. Megatron had deemed the tongue "unfit" for his new empire, and forced his army to learn an entirely new language from a planet that the warlord had found interesting: English. Any Decepticon caught speaking Cybertronian was subject to harsh punishment, even up to death, for being a heretic to the Decepticon cause. And when the Decepticons began strategizing and giving orders in a different language, the Autobots had to adapt to survive. Pretty soon, only the oldest and smartest of mechs retained their ability to speak Cybertronian.

Knockout had to admit, it was a pretty smart tactic on Megatron's part. The Decepticons had the strategic advantage for a while until the Autobots caught on. It also served as powerful propaganda of the power that Megatron had.

The datapad had another seventy-five pages analyzing the effects of the language switch, but Knockout wasn't interested in that. He skipped chapters until one caught his optic.

"How to speak the language".

He nearly gasped when he saw a full tutorial on the basics of the speech. How could anyone remember this many details about a language that was practically dead? And the rumors said that a _Decepticon_ ghost had written this. No Decepticon remembered.

Knockout walked back over to the datapad on the floor in the middle of the room. This ghost had some explaining to do.

"How do you remember Cybertronian? It was forced out of us eons ago." He asked, and then looked at the datapad for a reply.

 **I remember.**

"But we had too speak English, or else! There's no way you could have. . ." Knockout trailed off when the datapad came back with another answer.

 **Maybe that's why I never spoke.**

He paused. "You. . . never. . . spoke?"

A wave of realization hit him. The omniscient, simple writing. The cameras. The silence. Everything this ghost was telling him was suggesting. . .

"No. That's impossible. He died when the Autobots took control of the Nemesis. You couldn't be-"

The thud of the datapad landing on the floor cut him off.

 **It's surprising that even Autobots can lie.**

". . Soundwave?"


	3. Chapter 3

"How are you still alive? Where are you? Why can't I see you?!" Knockout asked the ghost, who he now knew was Soundwave.

The Datapad appeared at his feet again with a new message.

 **The Autobots didn't tell you, in fear that you would want me released.**

"Released? From where? Where are you?" His voice echoed throughout the hall.

 **The Shadow zone. A different dimensional plane in the same space as yours. I can see you, but you can't see me.**

Knockout pondered for a bit. "Okay. . . makes sense, I guess. Did your Groundbridge trick finally fall through on you?"

He swore he could hear a laugh as the Datapad appeared again.

 **It's amusing how brave you are when talking to air.**

Well , no slag. He was supposedly having a conversation with Soundwave, probably the most oilpan-emptying Decepticon there was. It was much easier to be brave when he couldn't see the mech's pitch black visor staring into him.

"Well, nice catching up you. I really should go now." Knockout decided now was probably the best time to leave. He began walking out of the room.

Until he was hit with a flying datapad, that is.

"What the- what was that for?!" He gave a sharp glare until he realized how stupid he looked glaring at nothing. He sighed and then picked up the datapad.

 **Wait don't leave don't leave.**

Knockout turned around. "What do you mean?"

 **Get me out. Need to get out. Out. Out. Help.**

Knockout read over the plea again, unable to believe his optics. It was almost like an entirely different person was talking now. This couldn't be Soundwave.

He looked over the empty space in front of him. "Are you. . . alright?"

There was no reply.

Most of the Autobots didn't know that Knockout had even left the Medbay in the first place, so it was easy for him to bridge in unnoticed.

He went over to the empty medical berth and sat down. He put his servos on his faceplate and sighed.

What had just happened? Soundwave had just contacted him. He had a conversation with him. And Soundwave. . .

Soundwave wasn't alright. But neither was the whole situation. For one, the Autobots had lied to him. If Soundwave was still alive, why didn't they tell him? They didn't trust him, apparently. Did they still think of him as a Decepticon? There was no doubt Ultra Magnus did.

After five years, five whole years of loyalty and they still wouldn't trust him. After he gave up the Decepticon symbol for their own. Frag, he even changed his optic color back to his natural yellow, and apparently they were still afraid he would start the war again. Who did they think he was? Starscream?!

Knockout flinched when the door to the medbay opened. Smokescreen came waltzing in.

"Hey, Doc! Where were you today? You missed some mighty tricks out on the track. . ." He stopped. ". . . not a good day today, huh?"

Knockout tried to perk himself up a bit and put on his best fake smile. "Are you kidding? Everything's fine. I just wanted to practice on my own for a change. You know, without some slow 'Bot on my tail."

"Really? The look on your faceplate kinda says otherwise." Smokescreen sat down next to him.

"Well I don't know what you're seeing, because everything is just dandy with me." Knockout said, and then internally face-palmed. That was way to cheesy.

Smokescreen gave him a weird look. "You sure about that?"

"I said I'm fine!"

Smokescreen got up. "Dude, no need to shout at me. Geez."

"Get out."

"Okay, okay." The recruit backed towards the door, servos in the air. "Going out now. But if you want to talk later, I'm free."

Knockout ignored him, and was grateful to hear the door finally shut. Finally, some peace and quiet.

But the silence grew louder. His servos were still shaking with anger. And he still had questions to be answered.

It was a relatively quiet day on the bridge. Ultra Magnus was at the center command console. He was reading over a status report, curtesy of Arcee, on the Well of All Sparks. Last week, the energy sensors they had placed there had spiked, so he had sent her out to investigate the signals. According to Arcee's report, a new generation of Cybertronians were going to be sparked in about three weeks.

A notification interrupted the report. Ultra Magnus clicked it. It was a message from Bulkhead. It was an update on construction: The new space port had finally been finished, and was now able to handle ships the size of the Nemesis. He deleted it after quickly glancing it over one more time.

The bridge went silent. Even the normal sounds of work stopped.

"Is there a reason for the pause in work?" He asked, before turning around.

He saw Knockout storming towards him.

"Is there something you need?"

"Would you mind informing me about what ever happened to Soundwave?" The ex-con was surprisingly casual sounding, yet seething with rage.

Ultra Magnus raised an eyebrow. "You already know the answer to that question, Knockout. He died defending the bridge. Now, unless you're here for something useful-"

"Hmm, you're right. I do know the answer to that question." Knockout smirked. "If he is dead, then where is his body? I want proof."

"Why would you care so much?"

"Because he was my comrade."

"Decepticons don't have 'comrades', only competition, I'm sure."

"What, because you know?"

The entire bridge froze as if Ultra Magnus was going to charge his blaster and force Knockout back into line. To the surprise of everyone, he didn't.

"We, err, dumped the body on the surface. There. Are you satisfied?" He replied.

He was caught off guard when Knockout laughed. Loudly.

"I didn't think that Autobots could lie. Guess I was wrong."

He sighed loudly and shrugged his shoulders, clearly making a show. The surveillance workers were a gossipy bunch. Those who weren't working on the bridge would hear of this little incident soon. He waltzed off the bridge unchallenged.

All the Vehicons stared up at their commander. He had to order them back to work several times before they complied.


	4. Chapter 4

The entire mess hall was filled with the noisy chatter of the Vehicons as Bumblebee entered. He heard passing bits of conversations as he walked by the different tables on his way to get his ration for the day.

"Did you hear what he did. . ?"

"What really happened to. . ?"

"Autobots can lie? I thought it was against their programming. . ."

He stopped cold when he heard the last bit of chitter chatter. Turning towards the direction where the comment cam from, He addressed the table.  
"Am I missing something here?"

The Vehicons stopped their chatter.

"Maybe. ." said one sarcastic voice came from the group.

"Shut up, Jeff!" Another yelled.

"Why should I?"

"Shut your fraggin'-"

Bumblebee cut in. "Enough! What happened?"

"Something on the bridge. Go look at the camera footage, if you care." The Vehicon known as Jeff replied.

"Thank you." Bee said begrudgingly. "I'll go check it out."

As soon as the Autobot left, Jeff turned back to the table.

"Anyone wanna bet on how long Knockout will be in the brig?"

"KNOCKOUT! What was that on the bridge!?"

The red mech turned to see his new visitor.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He said smugly.

Bumblebee continued further into the medbay.

"The Vehicons already distrust us." He paced. "Are you trying to make things harder?"

"Maybe they have a reason to not trust their new masters." Knockout amused as he pulled out his buzz saw and started polishing it.

"We aren't your masters." Bumblebee face palmed. "When will you-?"

"When you stop lying, perhaps?"

He sighed. "What do you want to know? What are we keeping from you?"

"Where. Is. Soundwave. I'd suggest you try telling the truth for once." Knockout's humor was gone, his tone dry.

"Knockout, we've never lied to you. Ultra Magnus already told you the truth-"

"That's not the truth, slaggit! I know the truth! You have him stuck somewhere called the 'Shadow Zone'." Knockout cursed, waving his saw too close for comfort.

Bumblebee stepped back. "How do you know?"

"Why have you been lying for this long? For five years. Five! Do you really think I'm still some sort of threat?!"

Bumblebee looked down at the ground and took a deep breath.

"Well?"

"We're paranoid, Knockout. We've always been." He began. "Starscream's attempt to stir revolution-"

"Yeah, yeah. Three years ago, Starscream had his cult following or whatever. You think I'm not aware? They tried to recruit me. Twice. I'm the one that warned you about it, remember?" Knockout gestured to his Autobot symbol.

"Yes, that is true. It's not you we're worried about. We're worried about Soundwave." Bumblebee looked him in the optic. "You see? If Soundwave ever got out-"

"Here's the thing: I don't think Soundwave is all right in the head. Trapping someone in some wacko dimension can't exactly be the healthiest thing. Especially for five years straight." Knockout replied.

"Alright, I'm sorry that the Autobots lied to you." Bumblebee said. "That was wrong."

"What are you going to do now then?"

Bumblebee knew a baited question when he saw one. He sighed.

"We'll tell the rest of the troops the news tomorrow." He replied. "Alright?"

"I'm done with this." Knockout put his saw away. "Get out of my medbay."

Bumblebee didn't need to be asked twice. He only realized how tense he was when he heard the door shut behind him. He relaxed.

He had faced Knockout thousands of times on the battlefield. He was used to fighting him, used to treating him like an enemy, like trash. But this time was different in a way he could not place.

Bumblebee had respect for him.

Before, Knockout was a Decepticon. A stupid, cowardly Decepticon. But over the past five years, he had developed so much. He was more serious. More confident. Maybe even a bit selfless. He had become an Autobot, and he was now a teammate. It was harder to vilify him, especially when he had a valid point.

Bumblebee came out of his thoughts when he entered the bridge. The Vehicons looked on edge as he walked by. Or was that how they always looked?

Even the commander looked tense as he turned to greet him.

"I think I might have defused the situation-"

"I heard what happened in the medbay." Ultra Magnus said.

"Wait. How?" Bee asked.

"I watched. The camera system aboard this ship is still operational, and I like to utilize it whenever possible." Ultra Magnus motioned back to the command console.

"You. . monitor us? For what?"

"Not you or the rest of the Autobots, normally. Knockout and the Vehicons are my primary concern. Things have been tense the past couple days." He glanced around to Vehicons.

"But. . ." Bumblebee started. He had many problems with this. Unauthorized surveillance? Wasn't that something that the Decepticons used to keep their troops in line? He decided against bringing it up though. It was a minor issue at best.

"So what are we going to do now? I did promise him."

"It's too late to prevent any damage this incident has caused, so we will have to make the announcement-" Ultra Magnus responded, before turning back to the command console and answering a comm. link call.

". . . An atmospheric disturbance? Coming towards the space port?"

"Sir?" Bumblebee asked.

"Well is it, or is it not?" Ultra Magnus ignored him. "What do you mean 'maybe'? This could be the first refugee to return to Cybertron and you're giving me a 'maybe'?"

The commander turned around again.

"What is it, sir?" Bumblebee asked.

"Bulkhead says that the space port has picked up an unidentified atmospheric disturbance. It may possibly be a refugee ship."

"I'll go down there and check it out, sir." Bumblebee replied.

"That would be excellent, thank you. Dismissed."

Bumblebee walked off the bridge and immediately called for a groundbridge to the surface. He walked through and emerged on the far side of the space port. He transformed and sped off to the terminal.

He arrived to find complete chaos. Vehicons were running all over the place, delivering messages, repairing and reassessing equipment, and in general, freaking out. Bumblebee was barely noticed when he made his way through, until Bulkhead spotted him.

"Hey Bee, come for a status report? Because everything is just fine. Nice and orderly."

Bumblebee snorted. "Very funny. What's going on?"

"We don't know yet." Bulkhead replied. "We think-"

"Sir!" A Vehicon interrupted. "We've located an emergency beacon. It's definitely a ship!"

"It is a ship! I knew it!" Bulkhead said. "The first ship to come back to Cybertron."

"I wonder who will be on board?" Bumblebee smiled.

"After five years, someone finally came back." Bulkhead looked off into the distance. "I was worried no one was ever going to come."

"Sir!"

Bulkhead snapped back into reality. "Yes?"

"The ship is entering the lower atmosphere, and it isn't slowing down. We think it's going to make a crash landing onto runway two." The Vehicon said, and then ran off.

"That doesn't sound too good." Bulkhead replied. "We need first responders out there, pronto."

"Let's both go." Bumblebee offered.

"Sounds good. Andrew!" Bulkhead called out. A Vehicon came over. "You're in charge until I get back."

The Vehicon nodded. Bulkhead started walking towards the door, and Bee followed. Once they exited, they transformed and drove to the second runway.

"This runway is massive." Bumblebee said, stopping on the edge of it. "How big is this ship?"

"We thought it might- Hang on, I'm getting a call." Bulkhead went silent for a moment.

"Well?"

"Far right side of the runway. That's where they think the ship is going to land."

They drove across the runway. Reaching the edge, they transformed.

Bulkhead shifted nervously. "I hope these people turn out okay."

"Don't worry-"

A sudden flash in the sky made everyone turn. A small ship, no larger than the Jackhammer, was glowing red hot from entering the lowest level of atmosphere. The two Autobots were powerless to watch it descend further and further. The ship was incredibly damaged, and it didn't land, rather, it fell. A loud crash onto the runway signified the end of it's maiden voyage to the surface.

Bumblebee and Bulkhead ran to the back of the ship, and forced their way into it through a door that was welded shut. Smoke obscured their vision as they peered in.

"Did. . we make it?" A terrified voice asked.

"Only one way to find out, bro." Said another.

Two beings stood up in the smoke, whom Bumblebee instantly recognized.

Soundwave's Minicons had finally made it home.


	5. Chapter 5

The two Minicons limped out from the remains of their ship. The sun was blindingly bright. The world they had been stuck on had an atmosphere so thick it was in an eternal darkness. They shielded their optics.

"Ultra Magnus, get Knockout into the brig as fast as you can. We have company." They heard a far off voice say. The sun was too bright to see who said it.

 _*Who's that?*_ Rumble linked to Frenzy. _*I've never heard that voice before.*_

 _*Not sure. I know who Ultra Magnus is though. He's an Autobot commander.*_ Frenzy linked back

Their optics had finally adjusted to the light level. They saw the Autobot Bumblebee, his servo up to his comm. "Two Minicons. His Minicons. Possibly injured. Get Ratchet."

"Hello?" Frenzy called out to the Autobot.

Bumblebee turned his attention towards them. "Hello there. I won't hurt you. The war is over. Come on out."

 _*Wait, did he just speak?* Rumble linked in alarm._

The two Minicons stepped out of the wreckage and into open daylight. Frenzy was grasping his side, which was now leaking slightly. It had been an old wound, reopened in the brunt of the crash. Rumble's whole body hurt like the pit, but as far as he knew, all the damage was old, aside from a decent-sized cut that was on his leg.

 _*How are you holding up?* Frenzy asked him._

 _*I'm fine! Just fine.* He replied._

Rumble hated how his brother knew about how delicate his systems were.

"Well, you two look like you've been through a lot." Someone said. It was Bulkhead, the Wrecker.

"Welcome to New Cybertron. You two are the first newcomers we've had in five years." Bumblebee said.

"We heard that the war was over and thought we'd 'drop' by." Rumble smirked. Frenzy laughed.

 _*That was really, really bad.*_ Frenzy linked, making sure to send along his laughter.

Bumblebee approached Rumble. "Do you need help walking? Your leg plating is-"

"Do you think I don't know?" He retorted. "I'm fine, though a repair might be nice. I assume all you Autobots have a medbay somewhere?"

"We're working on getting a bridge right now." Bulkhead replied.

True enough, a bridge opened.

 _*I wonder what kind of base they'll have. .* Rumble wondered._

 _*More importantly, who's in there.* Frenzy added._

They walked through the groundbridge. To their utmost surprise, they entered the familiar bridge of the Nemesis.

"This place is still up? I'm surprised it hasn't been blasted out of the sky or something!" Rumble exclaimed.

"It has. Twice, now that I think of it." Bumblebee replied.

Frenzy was still observing. The Vehicons were there, like always, but much more casual. There was a constant quiet chatter, and on occasion a bit of laughter to be heard as well. It was completely different from when the Decepticons had the ship. At the helm of the bridge was Ultra Magnus, the great Autobot commander, standing where Megatron would stand.

 _*Doesn't that bother him at all?* He wondered._

 _*What?*_

 _*Oh, nothing.*_

Frenzy remembered that only he noticed those things.

"Let's get you to the Medbay. We have our medic coming from Earth." Bumblebee turned and walked through the door, out of the bridge. The twins followed.

"Earth?" Frenzy asked. The planet that Megatron had taken so much interest in late in the war.

"So the main fight was on Earth?" Rumble continued on from his brother's comment. "Was Megatron on Earth?"

Wherever Megatron was, Soundwave had to be. And finding their boss was priority number one.

"Yes and yes." Bumblebee replied.

"So, uh. . nice voice you got there." Rumble was not as subtle as he thought he was.

 _*Nice going, fragger. What're you going to ask next?! Where Tailgate went?* Frenzy scolded._

Bumblebee stopped. "That is a long story, and we don't have time to talk about it right now."

"Oh really-?"

Frenzy socked Rumble in the arm.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Rumble gave a sharp glare.

"Maybe if you shut your mouth long enough, you might catch a clue!" Frenzy gestured towards his head.

Bumblebee gave an approving look to him. The three continued walking until they reached the Medbay. As the door opened, they saw the Autobot medic arriving through a Bridge on the other side.

"Am I late?" Ratchet asked, still recuperating from the space bridge.

"Not at all. Here's the two-" Bee started

"Frenzy and Rumble?!" Ratchet had apparently noticed who he was going to be repairing. "You didn't say anything about the terror twins. . ."

 _*My reputation has spread!* Rumble linked, sounding proud._

Frenzy rolled his optics.

"Surprise." Rumble said. "Now, Doc, could you take a look at my leg?"

Ratchet gave him a warning look.

"Okay, okay! Doctor. Geez."

Frenzy watched Bumblebee make a run for it as Rumble went over and clambered up onto a medical berth. Sighing and shaking his head, Ratchet began repairing Rumble's leg. Frenzy looked around the room. He immediately noticed a computer terminal and headed towards it, hoping to find more information. Who had been onboard the Nemesis when it came to Earth? Who was onboard now? Most importantly, where was Soundwave?

He broke the password and brought up a log in the crew manifest. The date on it was old; five years ago, to be precise.

 **After The Battle of The Well:**

Vehicon count: 415

Vehicon An-DR3W: Present.

Vehicon St-3V3: Present.

Vehicon J3-FF2: Present.

Vehicon ER-N13: Present

. . .

The list went on, but this wasn't the information he was looking for. He scrolled down, skimming for names of Decepticon officers.

 **Autobots:**

Arcee

Bulkhead

Bumblebee

Ratchet

Wheeljack

Ultra Magnus

New addition: Knockout

. . .

Hmm. . that was interesting. Was Knockout aboard the ship? Why would Ratchet have to come from Earth if Knockout-?

"What are you doing? Get off that computer! That's for official medical use only. ." Ratchet marched over and lifted Frenzy off the terminal.

"My mistake." Frenzy mumbled as he was being set down.

 _*What'd you find on there?* Asked Rumble._

 _*Not very much. A lot of the Autobots are here though. And Knockout. That's all I could get.* Frenzy responded._

 _*Knockout, huh? Wasn't he a medic?*_

 _*Exactly. For some reason we aren't allowed to see Knockout. What could be going on here?*_

 _*Ugh, not another one of your crazy theories. Calm down, Frenzy! The war's over. The Autobots aren't our enemies anymore, right?*_

 _*That's what they'd like you to think. . .*_

"Your leg should be fine, Rumble." Ratchet said, interrupting the internal conversation "Get up and let your brother come for repairs."

Rumble climbed down off the berth, as Frenzy made his way up.

 _*The joys of being a Minicon, am I right?* Rumble sighed._

Frenzy laughed quietly out loud, earning him a strange look from Ratchet.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Ratchet asked while Frenzy laid down on the comically large berth.

"Not much. Rumble's the one who got into all the trouble." Frenzy replied. Rumble let out a short laugh.

"Why do you have your servo on your waist? Take it off."

Frenzy slowly removed his servo to find it covered in dried Energon. The wound had mostly sealed on its own, but it still leaked a little onto the berth.

"By primus, you should have said something about this. I could have treated you first." Ratchet responded.

"Rumble was in worse shape."

"No, he wasn't." He glanced at both of them. "It's always a twin thing, isn't it? Wounds look worse on the people you care about."

Frenzy was tempted to comment, but stayed silent as Ratchet started patching him up.

When it was finished, Frenzy hopped off the berth. "So now what?"

Ratchet was about to reply, but the door to the Medbay opened. Ultra Magnus stepped through, surprising Frenzy. He hadn't expected to get such a formal welcome.

"Greetings. Welcome to New Cybertron." He addressed the twins. "I believe Ratchet has got you medically orientated?"

"Yes, sir." Frenzy responded. He had read Ultra Magnus's file a while back.

"At least you know your manners. That's a start." Ultra Magnus looked impressed, or at least as impressed as he would allow himself. "I would like to get you two caught up to the situation here on our restored planet, and the newfound peace we have created. Walk with me."

He turned to exit and walked out, clearly expecting the twins to do the same. They followed the commander as he lead them down the halls. They couldn't figure out where they were going yet. It seemed to be more of an aimless walk.

"You received the message that we broadcast; That is how you knew to come here." Ultra Magnus started. "Do you remember what the message said?"

"Of course we do! We're not-"

"We do, sir." Frenzy interrupted in the nick of time. "We read that Lord Megatron has surrendered."

"Er, right." Ultra Magnus paused. "We killed him and seized the Nemesis."

"What?!" Both Minicons said in unison.

"That's a load of slag!" Rumble said.

"What he said!"

Ultra Magnus clearly did not expect this. "I. . . understand that may have come as a bit of a shock-"

"You're a slagging liar!" Rumble pointed to him. "I'll only believe that if Megatron himself came up and died at my feet!"

A couple Vehicons passing by heard the conversation. They stopped. One of them stepped forward awkwardly.

"Permission to speak, sir?" The Vehicon asked.

Ultra Magnus looked at him, then the twins, then the Vehicon again. "Permission granted."

"Well, Megatron sort of died. . . then he got revived by. . . Unicron or something. It was weird." The Vehicon said nervously.

"Ok. Now THAT is what I call slag. Revived by Unicron?" Frenzy said.

"Come on, bro. Dark Energon. It's not all that unbelievable." Rumble replied. "So, basically Megatron is still alive?"

The Vehicon had already ran off. Ultra Magnus was left to answer the question.

"Technically yes." He said.

"That's what I thought." Rumble replied. "Megatron wouldn't die. Not for good, anyway."

Ultra Magnus decided in better judgement to just ignore the comment. It got quiet, but they were still walking.

Frenzy took a deep breath and decided to ask the question now.

"Did any other Decepticons survive?"

"Hmm. ." It was worrying that the commander needed to think about it. "Starscream's current whereabouts are unknown, as he disappeared when we arrived on Cybertron. We are attempting to track Shockwave's location, but we are not finding any leads. We hope you might be able to help with that."

"Anyone el-?" Frenzy asked.

"Screw it, I'm done with subtlety!" Rumble interrupted. "Where's Soundwave at?"

Ultra Magnus did not reply.

"Come on, where is he? This is Megatron's ship: he was on it too." Rumble said.

Ultra Magnus's face had no emotion on it.

"Soundwave died defending the bridge."


	6. Chapter 6

Soundwave was screaming.

They were right here. Right _here._ They were back. His Minicons were back. Just watching them again filled him with an indescribable joy. They were safe. They had survived the war.

But now they thought he was dead. They were. . . shaking. Crying. Upset. Soundwave tried desperately to reach out to them, to touch them, but his servo simply passed through empty air. He tried his comm, but only heard static. He tried to link to them, but nothing came back. He had been disconnected from them long ago, but the empty feeling this time practically tore through his spark.

They were here. So close. So close. He pounded his fist against the wall. They were here, and he wasn't. He watched.

He always watched!

Two Vehicons went and picked up the unmoving Minicons. His Minicons. An inexplicable rage built inside him. He ran forward and tried to attack. Tried to kill Ultra Magnus, and the Vehicons too, who were taking his Minicons away from him. He felt nothing. He kept punching and kicking and screaming, but nothing ever hit. There was nothing left.

He stopped. The world spun around him so fast. The adrenaline, still flowing in his veins, began making him dizzy. He leaned up against a wall and grasped his head.

His sanity was slipping, he knew it. He looked down at his shaking hands. He needed to remain calm, play for the long game. The plan. He had Knockout. That was something.

But Knockout was in the brig right now. He was in the brig because he knew. He was in the brig because of Frenzy and Rumble's arrival, slaggit!

He hit the wall again. Hard. The pain felt. . . good. It was the only thing that was real. The rest of this might as well be one of his hallucinations. He tried to focus again. The plan. He now he had two more allies to work with. He could message them, through the computer system, like he was planning to do with Knockout. Maybe this could still work.

Soundwave got up from the wall. He brought up an overview of the Nemesis's camera system on his broken visor. Thank Primus he was still connected after all these years. He did a quick search and found what he wanted. The Vehicons were bringing Frenzy and Rumble to the Medbay. He bridged himself there.

The Vehicons opened up a door in the back. This door was new. He brought up the ship's floor planning. The asylum. They were putting the in-shock Minicons in the asylum. One of the only rooms aboard the Nemesis without cameras. . . or a computer. The Vehicons gently laid the Minicons on the floor, left the room, and locked the door.

Soundwave bridged into the small room. Frenzy and Rumble were motionless. Any other mech would think they were having a system shut-down, but Soundwave knew that they were communicating, ever so silently, sharing the pain. He imagined what the conversation would sound like. He shook his head. Focus. He had to leave them a message somehow.

His head began to ache as he began scratching something into the wall. His digits started to slip. He was losing focus.

Thoughts crept into his mind like spiders. The memories. His vision started spinning as he thought about what it would be like to be with them again. In the real world. Talking to them. Reassuring them. Memories. . .

He was about to have one of his episodes again. He needed to complete his task, quickly. But the words he wanted were out of reach.

 _Still alive_

He scratched into the wall with the last bit of thought power he had left before the world started to haze. Images flickered across his field of vision and the line between reality and imagination blurred.

* _Hey, bro, are you awake?* Frenzy linked_

 _*I told you to leave me alone!* Rumble shot back, sending a load of anger along with it._

 _*There's something on the wall. Those words weren't there before.*_

 _*What words. . ?*_

Frenzy pointed up to the wall above them. Scratch marks covered the room, as if some wild animal had tried to escape. But on the wall closest to them was what appeared to be crude words.

 _*Still alive? What could that possibly mean? Who did this? That's. . . not funny. Not funny. Haha. . .* Rumble seemed to stare off at nothing._

Frenzy chose to hold his thoughts. Rumble was going into some sort of shock right now.

 _*Let's get out of here.* Frenzy linked._

Just as the twins got up and started towards the door, it opened. Bumblebee stepped through cautiously.

"I heard about your little incident yesterday. I'm sorry for your loss." He sounded very rehearsed, and not at all empathetic.

"Who killed him?" Rumble asked dryly.

"That issue will be addressed later." Bumblebee replied. "In the meanwhile, I suppose you want to see new Cybertron?"

Both twins stood in silence.

"Why should we-?"

"Sure." Frenzy interrupted Rumble.

Bumblebee laughed a little; he assumed this was twin shenanigans. "Wonderful. You will be taking the tour with Arcee."

"Does that mean we get to 'ride' her?" Rumble giggled slowly.

Frenzy couldn't help but to snicker as well.

"You obnoxious little-!" Bumblebee shook his head. "Arcee wouldn't stand comments like that for one second. I'd be careful, if I were you."

The twins guffawed as they followed Bumblebee out of the room.

On the way to the groundbridge room, Bumblebee decided to comm Arcee. "They're obnoxious today; likely still in shock. If they have another major breakdown, just bring them back to the ship."

"Shock? Me? Oh, I'm not in shock." Rumble commented, a little blurry on the edges.

 _*Yes you are. Calm down.* Frenzy linked to his woozy brother._

"Yes, just take them down to the space port, maybe the newest building." Bumblebee was oblivious to Rumble's comment. "Just don't take them anywhere that'll provoke some kind of negative emo- What?! No! Not down there. Taking them to the Well is about the worst thing you could do right now."

"The Well? Like, the Well of All Sparks?" Frenzy asked.

"Yeah. . . we could say hi to Boss. . ." Rumble said.

Before they knew it, they were stepping out of a Groundbridge, exiting through the other side to find that they were on an outlook, overlooking the space port. They stopped to gaze at everything they missed when they crashed. The terminal had to be at least a mile high; not counting the flight control tower, which dwarfed most of the other buildings in the distance. The communications antennae extended even higher than that, capable of receiving transmissions even from Earth.

"Quite the sight, isn't it?"

They turned to see Arcee standing behind them. Her normal cold demeanor was not present; she looked oddly happy. At peace.

"Yeah." Frenzy replied.

"Bulkhead's pride and joy. It was finished about a week ago." She paused. "Is there something wrong with Rumble?"

"He's a little. . ."

"What? Me? I'm fine. Just looking at the _prettiness_ of it all." Rumble gave a slow laugh.

". . .out of it."

Arcee looked at him. "I see. Do you want to stay here or see something else? We're rebuilding an Energon refinement plant just a few miles from here."

"I'd like to see that." Frenzy replied.

"Alright then. It's a bit of a walk."

"Or a short ride?" Rumble asked.

 _*NO!* Frenzy warned._

"Um, sure?" Arcee replied without thinking.

"Wait what? Really? Oh wow." That seemed to get Rumble a little out of his stupor.

 _*Lookit me! I got us a lady!* Rumble linked. *I guess it's just my charm.*_

 _*There you are. I was wondering when you would show up.* Frenzy joked back._

"Is there a reason you two are staring at each other? Hurry up and get on." Arcee unknowingly interrupted the internal conversation, and was already transformed.

"Sorry!" They said in unison.

Rumble got on first, hanging on tight to her handlebars. Frenzy got on after him and slapped his brother's hands off.

 _*Remember your manners!* He scolded._

"Actually, you might want to hold on. I'd rather get this done and over with as quickly as possible." Arcee commented.

As soon as Rumble grabbed the handlebars again Arcee hit the gas. Poor Frenzy was hanging on for dear life while Rumble was taking it in a cowboy-like fashion:

"YEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAW!"

The refinement plant loomed in the sky ahead of them, getting bigger and bigger as they came closer. As soon as they reached it, Arcee slammed the brakes, causing Rumble (who was standing up) to fly off into a pile of construction waste.

"What was that for?!" He yelled, still buried in the pile.

"Embarrassing me." Arcee transformed after Frenzy got off. "I am not some sort of theme park ride!"

Frenzy was already at the pile, trying to dig his brother out in vain. He was suppressing his laughter well. Arcee came to help, of course, and pulled Rumble out of the pile.

"Jeez. Just having a little fun." He pouted as Arcee held him up by his arm. "Do you treat your human partners the same way?"

Arcee set him rather roughly. "How did you know about him?"

"He doesn't. He's just making one of his rare educated guesses. You were on Earth, so there had to be some sort of human involvement, right?" Frenzy explained.

"I did have a human partner. Still do. He's a more timid rider than you two were." Arcee said.

 _*Five rations says Arcee scared the scrap out of him the first time they met.* Rumble snickered._

 _*Yeah, no kidding.* Frenzy added._

"You must have been very intimidating." Frenzy shrugged.

"The first ride. . . maybe." She smirked. "He trusts me now."

They walked into the plant. Vehicons were busy about: carrying things, fixing others, welding, drilling, building. . . it was a hectic place. Frenzy and Rumble were trying hard not to get stepped on. On the other side of the large interior was Bulkhead, giving orders to captains, who then gave orders to the workers. That way, no one person had complete power over the rest. The atmosphere was casual, as talking could be heard in between the different noises of the workplace.

The trio walked over to Bulkhead.

"How's everything going?" Arcee greeted the Wrecker, after he had finished talking to a captain.

"Great- oh! You brought the twins, I see. Giving them the tour?" He responded.

"The space port looks nice." Frenzy commented.

"Thanks! The team worked hard on it." Bulkhead waved off another Vehicon that was seeking his attention. "None of this would of been possible without their dedication-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, sir, but this is urgent." The Vehicon piped up. He was one of the captains.

Bulkhead turned his attention. "What is it?"

"A nearby building is leaning precariously close to the construction site. It needs to be demolished, and very soon."

Bulkhead paused. "But we ran a stability check on the surrounding ruins. Was there a mistake?"

"We don't know. Most likely."

"Safely demolishing that building could take weeks. We needed more warning than this." Bulkhead said.

This caught Rumble's attention. "Demolition?" He shrugged "Say, I know something that could take that building down in one go."

 _*Rumble, no. Don't do it. Your systems are already at the breaking point. Anymore damage and-* Frenzy tried to warn._

 _*It'll only be for a couple seconds!* Rumble linked back._

"What?" Bulkhead asked.

"Come on. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." Rumble patted his arm.

Bulkhead did not reply.

"'Ready to crumble before Rumble'?" He laughed at his old catchphrase. "Come on. Let me show this threatening building who's boss."

The Vehicon shifted uncomfortably. "Um, orders, sir?"

"Alright." Bulkhead said. "It's not like we have any other options at the moment."

The Vehicon lead them outside. The problem was instantly visible. An old, ruined skyscraper sagged in its joints. It creaked and groaned erratically. Right now, it was leaning away from the construction site, but that could change with the smallest gust of wind.

Rumble walked forward, towards the building, ahead of the group. He passed Vehicon workers, who whispered in anticipation and in fear as he went by. He pressed forward, determined.

 _*Rumble, this is your last warning. Don't do it. I just lost Boss. I can't lose you.* Frenzy linked desperately._

 _*Shut up!* He replied. *I'll be fine. I'm always fine.*_

He stopped, and took a deep breath. His arms transformed into pylons. Pain sparked through him. He did not flinch. Everything stood still.

His pylons hit the ground. Hard. The ground shook, and the shockwave expanded from the epicenter. And then another wave. And another. The air filled with cracks as the building's supports gave way.

Pound. Pound. Pound. A strange hum of twisted joy and bloodlust rang in his audios as he lost himself in this rhythm.

He didn't stop until the entire building lay on the ground in shambles. Dust and debris choked the air. The pain shot through him; his delicate systems sending him error messages upon error messages. He put the pylons away. He fell to his knees. All of the power he had felt was now gone, leaving a empty, aching void. Silence.

 _*Rumble! Rumble! Answer me! Are you alright?!*_

Rumble heard footsteps coming up behind him.

"Are you alright?" Frenzy asked quietly. "Answer me. Please."

Rumble coughed. "Yeah, I'm good, bro."

"You need help walking?"

"Naw." Rumble turned around and smiled. A genuine smile, not a smirk.

He got up and walked, with a slight limp, out of the smoke, and past astonished Vehicons. Frenzy followed. They made it back to Arcee and Bulkhead, who stood in shocked silence.

"That was. . . incredible." Bulkhead didn't make eye contact.

"Decepticon weapons of mass destruction can come in handy, I guess." Rumble shrugged.

Arcee flinched at the comment.

"I think we could use you more often." Bulkhead said.

"Was that a job offer?" Rumble asked.

Frenzy stepped in. "No. He's not looking for work."

 _*Aww, come on, bro. Why not? It didn't hurt that bad.* Rumble linked._

 _*This 'work' could kill you!*_

"I could add you to the workforce. I would call you in for special assignments like this one." Bulkhead shifted his focus to Frenzy. "He wouldn't constantly be in the field, if that's what you're worried about, Frenzy."

He didn't reply.

"It's been a long day." Arcee finally said. "And this has been a far longer tour than I had planned. I was supposed to get you two back to the Nemesis a while ago."

"I agree with her. I'm ready to go." Rumble said.

"Sure." Frenzy said.

"Do we get a ride on the way back?" Rumble snickered.

"You gave them a ride?!" Bulkhead optics went wide, and he looked at Arcee.

"For faster transport! Nothing more." She snapped at him, then turned to the twins. "No, I am not giving you another ride. We're bridging back."

Rumble giggled as Arcee walked off and called for a Groundbridge.

"I think she likes you two." Bulkhead whispered.

Frenzy couldn't help but giggle a little as well.

"Why the frag did you throw me in here?! Primus and the Thirteen, all I did was stir things up a little."

"It's more complicated then that, Knockout." Bumblebee paced around ex-con in cuffs. "Something happened and-"

"And what?! What could give you any justification for this?!" Knockout spat. "You're all acting like Decepticons! And I thought those days were behind me."

"They are!" Bumblebee snapped, then took a deep breath. "And I will justify my actions of you just listen."

Knockout sighed, and leaned against the wall of the brig. "Alright. I'm listening."

"Soundwave's Minicons have just arrived on Cybertron."

"Frenzy, Rumble, and Ravage?"

"Just the twins for some reason. We haven't been able to ask." Bumblebee replied. "And, for obvious reasons, we told them Soundwave was dead."

"What?! Why? Why do you keep telling everyone he's dead?" Knockout threw his hands in the air. "Why is it so important that Soundwave remains in that Shadow Zone thing?!"

Bumblebee was losing patience. "Because Soundwave was Megatron's most loyal and competent follower. He may try to start the war all over again; and with the strife you've caused recently, he would already have enough support!"

"You're scared he may try to do the same thing Starscream did over three years ago?"

"Yes. Except Soundwave would have the skills to pull it off."

Knockout scoffed. "Right. So why am I in here again?"

"The twins. They would be furious if somebody told them where he was. They obviously care a lot about him and would. . . object to his punishment." Bumblebee tried to seem unfazed.

"Rumble. You're afraid of Rumble, aren't you." Knockout laughed silently. "The ultimate Decepticon weapon of mass destruction. You're smart to fear what he can do."

"I see we're finally on the same page."

"Slag no! You slaggers should of just told them the truth in the first place! I don't think that Soundwave is dumb enough to start the war again, glitchhead. How long do you think you'll be able to keep this from Rumble?"

"As long as we can." Bumblebee replied. "And-"

"How long are you going to keep your own teammate in the brig?" He looked him straight in the optic.

Bumblebee sighed. "I'm sorry, Knockout, it's just too much of a risk-"

Knockout wasn't done. "You told me that I was an Autobot now! After five years, five fragging years of being on the team, working every single day to prove that I'm something more than what I was, and now you're going to treat me like a fragging traitor?! I guess that was all lies, huh? Clearly, those five years meant nothing to you. All the bonding moments we had. All those nights with the team. Oh, they don't matter, I'm still just a fragging 'Con, right? You can't trust me, RIGHT?!"

Knockout wouldn't stop cursing until Bumblebee left the brig.


	7. Chapter 7

Soundwave awoke in a familiar room. The soft blue glow of the datapads gently illuminated the ceiling.

He got up, clutching his head. The last hallucination had to have been the longest. His entire frame ached. Unfortunately, it was impossible to know from what. It was a miracle that his unconscious mind even directed itself back to this familiar place; the old Iacon archives, where he had spent much of his time in the past few years. He studied the wall of datapads. Row after row they trailed on, almost up to the ceiling. He had written all of these, during his exile. It was something to do- boredom was one of the first things he had encountered. Along with the mind-numbing silence of being alone.

It was a certain kind of silence, one that could be heard even when watching the happenings of the other dimension. It rang constantly in his audios. There was a constant empty, aching feeling he had never experienced before.

He had never felt "loneliness" until now. He had never cared about being ignored. It had been part of his daily function; the only time he was ever engaged with others was when he was receiving orders. And even then, it was only Megatron. That was the way it worked. It was better than having an imbecile like Starscream rant to you all day.

He shook off his thoughts. No need to ponder what was. Besides, wallow in the past too long, and he might start hallucinating again.

So he busied himself. The old Iacon hall was in constant need of repair. There were datapads to be written, things to rearrange, and. . .

There was something he was missing. Something terrible. It had to be something important, and he was forgetting it. He couldn't think of what is was.

 _Back to work. . ._

"Hey, Frenzy! I got called into work today. Wanna come with? Bulkhead says this is going to be my biggest job yet."

Frenzy sighed. He hated his brother's enthusiasm for his "job".

"Well?" Rumble looked at him.

 _*You know how much I hate it when you do that. I'd rather not watch.* Frenzy glared._

"Alright, I'm going without you then. See ya later." Rumble responded out loud, and then added _*You have to respond out loud sometime! People are gonna think you're nuts.*_

Frenzy rolled his optics as Rumble left the room. Their quarters, no doubt about it, had likely been Soundwave's quarters. It had been the only uninhabited living space when the twins arrived, and Frenzy suspected it was for a reason the Autobots did not care to explain. It didn't make his creator's passing hurt any less.

After making sure that Rumble had already left the ship, Frenzy left the quarters as well. It didn't feel good to spend too much time in there. He wandered down the halls that he had only seen in blueprints; after all, he had been sent off-world before the ship was built. Rumble's skills had been needed on one of the colonies, and Soundwave was needed to finish the building of the Nemesis. And thus they were separated.

His spark ached with grief. If only he knew back then that that would be the last time he would ever lay optics on his creator. There were a lot of things left unsaid in that half-hearted goodbye.

Frenzy walked to the bridge, trying to distract himself. Even though it had now been three weeks since he had arrived, he was still startled by the casual atmosphere that greeted him. Most Vehicons were off-shift right now, having rations or even just hanging around. The few Vehicons that were on duty paid no mind to the Minicon as he strolled right up to one of the unoccupied computers. Which was odd, because most of the Autobots tried their best to keep him off the main systems, giving him the small computer in his quarters to mess around on. It wasn't connected to much, and it didn't have any information he needed.

It became obvious that this computer wouldn't either. This computer was used to monitor communication signals coming from off world. However, Frenzy noted, the computer was not operating at complete efficiency. The signals were muddled somehow.

 _Well, I can fix that_ , he thought, before opening up the computer's diagnostics and getting to work.

It didn't take him that long to fix the problem; communication signals were now boosted to full capacity. A swarm of unreceived messages flooded into the notifications, all of them from "Wheeljack".

"What are you doing? Get off of there."

Frenzy turned to see Smokescreen behind him. The larger bot picked him up off the keyboard and sat him roughly on the ground, despite his protests.

"Oof! What was that for?" Frenzy asked, annoyed. "At least try and set me down gentler!"

"Sorry, little guy. Ultra Magnus told me to keep you off the computers." Smokescreen replied.

Frenzy made stern eye contact before uttering, "Little guy?! You're lucky I'm not my brother. He would of socked you right of the face of Cybertron."

"Wow, really? Well-"

"Besides, I just fixed your communications links. See for yourself."

"Uh, okay. . ?"

Smokescreen stepped up to the computer and browsed through the messages that had just arrived.

"Wheeljack, huh? Wow. He must be far out there! Bulkhead's been waiting for a reply for weeks. We'd just assumed he'd moved out of range."

"Well, it's obvious you have more range than you think you did. You just have to turn of the frequency inhibitor. I doubt anyone's trying to send coded messages anymore."

"Dang! We should let you onto the computers more often." Smokescreen smiled." You could be our new tech guy! Where'd you learn all this stuff? Heck, you're younger than I am!"

"Soundwave taught me everything he knew." Frenzy replied.

"Soundwave?! Really-? I meant- uh, you probably learned from the best, I guess." This topic seemed to make the recruit very uncomfortable.

"I was his Minicon." Frenzy shrugged. "You can believe whatever lie they told you in bootcamp, I don't care. But some Decepticons actually were fond of each other."

Smokescreen was taken aback. "Woah, I'm sorry. That came out all wrong."

For once, he sounded very sincere.

"No offense taken." Frenzy responded.

"Well, I'm going to go put in a good word for you to Ultra Magnus, and go tell Bulkhead about the ten missed messages from Wheeljack that he has."

Frenzy watched as Smokescreen quickly exited the bridge. For being the first real casual conversation he'd had with an Autobot, it went pretty well.

There was not much else to do, so Frenzy left the bridge. The halls were filled with Vehicons on break. The friendlier ones waved hello as he passed by; the ones who wouldn't be bothered ignored him.

All of the sudden, his comm. link rang on an emergency frequency. He answered.

"Your brother's not responding, and-"

A wave of pain washed over him. His arm throbbed. It wasn't his pain, though. He took several sharp breaths.

"I need. . . a bridge to the construction site! Now!" He commed.

A Groundbridge opened and he ran through.

Pain shot up his arm. Soundwave dropped the datapad he was holding. The Minicons. His Minicons.

 _Rumble!_

He opened up a bridge to the coordinates as fast as he could. He ran through to find a construction site in chaos. A crowd of Vehicons, mixed in with the occasional Autobot, were all standing around something. Running straight through the people in the crowd, unseen and unheard, Soundwave approached.

Rumble was collapsed on the ground. His arm was nearly torn off, and energon was pooled all around.

 _*Rumble, Rumble!* Soundwave linked in vain._

Another Groundbridge opened up behind the crowd. Frenzy came sprinting out of it. The Vehicons cleared a path for him to come through.

"Rumble! By the Allspark. . ." Frenzy shook. ". . . get a medic. Get a medic!"

"We're trying the best that we can!" Bumblebee shouted back. "The Spacebridge is having issues and-"

"GET A PRIMUS-FRAGGING MEDIC!" Frenzy screamed, louder than Soundwave thought possible.

"We need a bridge to the Medbay." Commed Bulkhead.

The Groundbridge appeared behind the crowd.

"Make way!" Bumblebee cut through the crowd, cradling the injured Minicon and rushing him through the Groundbridge.

Soundwave followed.

"Knockout, we need you."

The comm. rang with words he never thought he'd hear again. The door to his cell opened and Arcee entered.

"What happened?" Knockout replied. "Finally decided to-"

"Rumble has been injured and Ratchet's stranded on Earth. If you are a real medic, it's time for you to prove it." She took his stasis cuffs off.

His optics grew wide, and then narrowed. "Where's my patient?"

Knockout ran down the halls, Arcee barely keeping up. The Vehicons looked on in surprise. His absence had not gone unnoticed.

They entered the medbay doors.

"Primus. . ." Knockout gasped as he laid optics upon the Minicon's injuries.

"GET TO WORK, SLAGGIT!" He flinched to see a hyperventilating Frenzy staring him down.

Knockout went and frantically grabbed the tools he needed, before taking a deep breath and getting to work.

No doubt Soundwave was watching at this very moment. He could practically feel Soundwave's optics drilling into his frame. . .

Rumble thought he heard a voice. A single voice. His creator's voice.

 _*Stay with me, Rumble. Stay with me. . .*_


	8. Chapter 8

Rumble awoke. His arm ached with all the fury of Unicron.

He slowly blinked and sat up. He looked around the Medbay. There was no one there besides himself. All the computers were off, and an empty silence hung in the room, only interrupted by the beat of a spark monitor.

He flinched as the door to the Medbay opened. Knockout came through in stasis cuffs, alongside Arcee. The two froze when they saw that he was awake.

Rumble raised an eyebrow. "Knockout? How did you get here? Why are you in cuffs?"

Arcee ignored the comment and quickly undid the stasis cuffs on Knockout's wrists. The medic rubbed the spot where the cuffs had lay tenderly. He then began checking equipment.

"From what I remembered, you weren't so quiet." Rumble pushed on. "What's going on?"

Knockout quickly motioned for the Minicon to shut up.

"Why can't I talk? Why can't you talk? What's going on?!" Rumble repeated.

"Nothing is going on. He's just doing a routine check." Arcee replied, more nervous than usual.

"Well, I'm awake. Where's Frenzy? Can I go see him?" He asked.

"I don't know right now."

"Oh really?" Rumble snarked. "Well, I'm going to get up and find him."

He tried to stand up on the berth. Dizziness overtook him, and shapes swam across his vision. He collapsed, and Knockout caught him.

"Don't." The medic whispered. "Your systems are heavily damaged, and-"

Arcee marched over and yanked Rumble out of his hands. The Minicon winced as he was roughly laid back on the berth.

"What did you say to him?" Arcee turned to Knockout.

"Nothing! Just medical statistics." He replied.

Arcee hesitated, and then grabbed him by the servo, reattached the stasis cuffs, and marched him promptly out of the room. Rumble was too tired to even think about why before falling back into recharge.

"Why have you been keeping Knockout imprisoned?" Frenzy asked.

Ultra Magnus turned to face him, and said nothing.

"Why have you kept him locked up, _sir?_ " He asked again.

The Vehicons paid full attention to the conversation, and the bridge grew silent.

The commander sighed. "Knockout had been engaging in treacherous activities before you arrived. It has been an ongoing problem."

Whispers started up as the crowd discussed between themselves what was being said.

"What kind of 'activities' are we talking about here?" Frenzy replied.

"Ones that could undermine everything we strive to achieve." Ultra Magnus brought up a picture of reformed Cybertron on the viewscreen. The sun was setting over the Well of All Sparks.

"Or have achieved." Frenzy added. "But Knockout, Knockout of all people, wouldn't affect much, don't you think?"

"You would be surprised at how much damage someone so minor can inflict." Ultra Magnus said as he changed the image over to a view of the ruins of Tygerpax.

The entire bridge went silent.

"Don't bring that up. Ever, commander. Do you hear me?!" Frenzy snapped.

"Do not use that disrespectful tone-"

"You have no idea what you are talking about! Rumble was used." Frenzy interrupted.

"Tell that to the millions who died when he destroyed the entire city." Ultra Magnus spat. "Rumble was a murderer. You're lucky that I grant him pity."

"Say another fragging word, I dare you!" He threatened.

Ultra Magnus held his servo up to comm. "Security, please escort Frenzy out of here and back to his quarters."

Two Vehicons came in through the doors and came to either side of the Minicon. Frenzy gave a quick glare, before turning around and being escorted out.

They arrived at his quarters. The Vehicons gave a solemn nod before dismissing themselves. He entered, sighed, and sat on his berth.

 _*Rumble, are you there?* He tried reaching out._

There was no reply. Rumble was still out cold.

 _*Wake up. Please.* He pleaded. *I need you here.*_

 _*Rumble- so- sorry-*_

Frenzy flinched. That wasn't Rumble. The static in the message had blotted out the sound of the voice.

"B-Boss?" He asked quietly to the empty room.

A frantic feeling washed over him, but the emotion wasn't his.

 _*Frenzy- alive- shadow-!* The voice quickly spurted and then faded out._

Frenzy grasped his head. Static, that strange static was all that he could hear. He laid down on the berth, feeling dizzy.

The Groundbridge opened in the ruins of the Iacon Hall. Smokescreen stepped through.

"Hello, ghost!" He called out as he made his way into the inner chamber.

The Datapads were still brightly glowing as ever, but they weren't the only things glowing. Someone had made a lamp out of parts that looked like it had come straight off the Nemesis.

"Nice light, ghost. Did you get it from the ship? 'Cause it looks like you did. Don't worry, I won't tell Ultra Magnus." He greeted the room.

He waited. There was no reply.

"That's weird." He remarked. "Are you here?"

Finally, the expected Datapad dropped in the middle of the room. Smokescreen picked it up.

 **What is it?**

Smokescreen set the Datapad back down and shrugged. "Just wanted to chat. Obviously you can't be very busy."

 **I am not. But why talk with me?**

"Why not?" Smokescreen replied. "But actually. . . I'm going to say stuff that'll get me in trouble."

 **Why?**

"Like, do you mean 'Why will it get me in trouble?' or 'Why am I telling you?'. Because the answer to both is it's private information. A lot of. . . stuff has been going on."

 **Like what?**

"Well, Soundwave's Minicons have returned. Two brothers. One's named Frenzy, and I'm sure you've heard of Rumble. After all, you're a Decepticon, right? Anyway, they're really missing Soundwave. We tell them he's dead and they are devastated. Like, worse than Devastator. See what I did there? Anyways, here's the catch: Soundwave's not dead. He's in some wacky dimension called the Shadow Zone."

 **I am sure Soundwave is also devastated by not being able to return to his Minicons.**

"That's what I'm thinking as well. I feel horrible about it! But why should I? Ultra Magnus says that Soundwave was just an emotionless Decepticon coward. If he gets out, he'll start up the war again. So I'm kinda in a corner."

 **How can you be so sure about him?**

"Because he was Megatron's right hand mech! And if Knockout is causing trouble, then Soundwave will dominate us. . . and, I never expected Knockout to just turn like that. One day he's a good friend and the next, he's acting like a Decepticon all over again. Back to square one."

 **Knockout was your friend?**

"Yeah. Call it corny. We were friends. I mean, someone who likes racing like I do? How could we not?" Smokescreen smiled, then sighed. "I thought he had changed."

 **But then he found out where Soundwave went.**

"Wait, what? Is that what happened? But. . . Ultra Magnus said he made a big show on the bridge, and then threatened Bumblebee with his saw."

 **Not everything is one-sided.**

"Wait, so if Knockout found out where Soundwave went. . . we locked him up so he wouldn't tell the Minicons! That's why he can't go check up on Rumble alone. He has to be guarded so he can't tell. It all makes sense now. This is even more confusing than before. I don't know what to do."

 **Think of how I feel.**

"'I'? What do you mean. . . 'I'?" Smokescreen paused. An uneasy tension developed.

 **I meant "he". . think of how Soundwave feels.**

"Wait a fragging second. . ." Smokescreen gasped. "Frag. Frag frag frag. Fragging slag!"

He threw the Datapad down on the ground, shattering it. He ran out of the room as fast as he could.

"Smokescreen here." He commed, putting on his best smile. "Calling in for a bridge back to ship."

"Everything alright?" The voice on the other side of the line asked.

"Yeah. Just need a bridge, thank you." He said faster then he would of liked. "Directly to my quarters."

"Okay then?"

The Groundbridge opened and Smokescreen ran through. His quarters looked empty, thank Primus. But something was still in the air.

A cold, chilling feeling that someone was watching him.


	9. Chapter 9

Frenzy woke up. He got up off of the berth, rubbing his optics. He had a massive processor ache, and was tempted to lay back down again, but. . . Rumble. He needed to see if Rumble was okay.

He walked to the medbay, conscious of the many stares he got from the Vehicons. News would be all over the ship by now that he had lost his temper in front of the commander.

He sighed and entered the door, not expecting any response when-

"There you are, Frenzy! Geez, I was wondering when you would finally come to see me."

"Rumble?"

Frenzy looked up onto the medical berth to find Rumble leaning over the edge.

"Get back on the berth before you fall off!" Frenzy chuckled.

"Well come on up. There's plenty of room up here." Rumble replied and pushed himself back from the edge.

Frenzy ran forward and launched himself at the berth, grabbing a small ledge and pulling himself quickly to the top. It wasn't the most graceful, but it worked. He walked over the many grooves in the berth and sat beside his brother.

 _*And he sticks the landing!* Rumble cheered._

 _*Well, I've certainly gotten more proficient at it.*_

 _*I'm not going to mention the time when-*_

 _*Don't you dare!*_

The two laughed out loud. Frenzy sat down. The tone grew somber.

"I have to ask what happened though." He sighed. "At the construction site."

Rumble gave him a glare. "Come on, let's not talk about that right now."

"We need to."

"Alright. We were just taking down some old ruins. It took longer than expected."

"And then what?"

"You saw it. My arm was mangled. Energon everywhere."

"At least this time it could be repaired."

"Don't say that." Rumble whispered.

"I know." Frenzy lowered his volume as well.

They both looked at each other.

"Ultra Magnus. . . he doesn't like you, you know." Frenzy said, eyeing the cameras nervously. "I think it's about time you stopped using your ability."

"But I was using it for good cause-"

"He called you a murderer."

Rumble flinched at the simple syllables.

 _*You don't think I'm a murderer, do you?*_

 __Frenzy brought him into a one-armed hug.

 _*Slag no. You were a weapon. Used. You had no control over any of that. And I said that, right to that red and blue slagger's face.*_

 __There was no reply, but what was left unsaid was easy to guess. Frenzy let go of the hug, and Rumble gave a tentative smile.

The door to the Medbay opened. The twins flinched and turned to see who came in.

"I see Rumble is awake and functional now." Bumblebee greeted them.

"Yeah, this guy finally had the common sense to come and check on me." Rumble lightly punched his brother on the arm. Thank Primus that he could cover so quickly.

"How does your arm feel, Rumble?" Bumblebee asked.

"Uh. . ." He hesitated. "It doesn't hurt. Much."

"Are you able to stand?" Bee asked.

"Yeah." Rumble replied. "I'm no weakling. It takes a lot more than that to take me down!"

"Are you sure?" Frenzy warned.

"Of course!" Rumble got up, wobbling a little before standing up straight.

"Good. With that, you are excused from the Medbay." Bumblebee looked impressed. "I would suggest limiting your activity-"

"I'll take care of it." Frenzy replied.

"I assume you will need help getting off the berth, however?"

Both twins sighed.

"That would be helpful, yes." Frenzy said.

Bumblebee gently picked him up by the arm and set him down on the floor.

"Alright, me too." Rumble admitted.

Bumblebee cradled the him, and carried him down.

"No need to make me feel like such a kid! I told you, I'm fine." He protested.

"Alright, let's go." Frenzy pointed to the door.

Rumble started walking, but then began to lean a little on Frenzy.

 _*Can you make it the whole way there?* Frenzy asked him._

 _*To where? The mess hall? I could use a good ration.*_

 _*Our quarters. I need to talk. Something happened.*_

 _*Like what?*_

 _*I don't know. I can't explain it. But something's off.*_

"Is there a problem, Smokescreen?"

Smokescreen turned to see Ultra Magnus standing in the doorway of his quarters.

"No, of course not!" He replied in a nervous, joking manner. "Why would there be any problem?"

"You're right." Magnus said. "There is no problem. Nothing to be worried about at all."

The commander's calm tone was giving Smokescreen the chills.

"Uh. . yeah. Right." He replied with a chuckle. "So why are you here, sir?"

"I was worried that Knockout's sudden betrayal might be starting to have an effect on you, along with seeing the Iacon ruins being inhabited by a Decepticon ghost."

"No effect at all, sir! I mean, the ruins were slightly. . unnerving, but otherwise I'm great. Thanks for asking."

"You sound on edge."

Smokescreen's mouth moved, but no words came out.

"You're right." He finally sputtered. "I'm worried about. . . Wheeljack! Yeah. He's all alone out there. I'm worried he's. . . um. . . missing Bulkhead. And. . ."

Ultra Magnus looked him in the eye. "Is this about the Minicons?"

"No."

Silence.

"Then what is it?" He asked.

Smokescreen was ready to collapse in relief. "Yeah, I am bothered by Knockout's betrayal. My apologies for lying, sir."

"Apology accepted. We need more honest mechs, Smokescreen. Especially after his betrayal. Report anything that seems suspicious directly to me." Ultra Magnus turned and left the room.

There was a tense silence as the door shut. Smokescreen relaxed. He had been standing so straight that his joints ached. Then he jerked back upright, as the realization swept over him. One single thought flashed through his mind.

 _What do I do?_

He had just lied for the first time. And it wasn't a "little white lie" like Jack had taught him, but a full-on lie, to a commanding officer! Was this how Autobots turned Decepticon?

Why, why had he lied? He should of told Ultra Magnus everything. Everything about Soundwave being the ghost. Everything about the "conversations" and what he had told Soundwave and what Soundwave told him. He closed his optics.

Something inside him told him that what Ultra Magnus was doing was. . . wrong. Something was wrong. It felt like there was a hole tearing right through his spark. Smokescreen knew the feeling of utter desperation. He had felt it on the Decepticon prison ship, while trying to escape. Except where Soundwave was, the Shadow Zone, was inescapable without outside help. And then not to mention how the Minicons must be feeling!

The Minicons. What if. . ?

He approached his personal computer. The screen was blank. He paused before entering in a command.

 **Compose Message**

His servos shook as he typed.

 **Soundwave**

 **Is**

 **Alive**

He closed his optics and shook his head.

 _This isn't right_ , he told himself. _Ultra Magnus would never forgive me._

He opened his optics.

 _What if Ultra Magnus isn't right?_

He started typing again, faster.

 **He's in the Shadow Zone, an alternate dimension. It might be possible to get him out.**

 **He's alive. He's alive. And he misses you.**

The send button was just sitting there. One click could change everything.

 **Send To-?** The message popped up.

 **_User_6692_** He typed. That was the address of Frenzy and Rumble's quarters.

 **Override?**

He hadn't thought about this. Of course the computer would be blocked.

 **Soundwave123(?)** He guessed.

 **INCORRECT**

 **Minicon6692(?)** He guessed again.

 **INCORRECT**

Obviously, this was defense against Soundwave sending them a message from the Shadow Zone. What was something that Soundwave wouldn't know?

 **Til_All_Are_One(?)** He finally guessed.

 **Override initiated**

 **Message Sent**

The twins had arrived at their quarters.

 _*That was exhausting.* Rumble panted *I need a break.*_

 _*Of course. Sit down, make yourself comfortable.*_

Rumble seemed to collapse onto the floor.

 _*Alright, what's up?* He asked suspiciously._

 _Frenzy sighed. *I heard. . . something.*_

 _*Like what? Smokescreen drooling over Ultra Magnus again? I can't imagine what you could have-*_

 _*No! Shut your mouthplates and listen!* Frenzy regained his composure. *I thought. . . I. . .*_

 _*Spit it out already.*_

 _*Nevermind.*_

Rumble straightened. "Alright then."

Frenzy looked away. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"Well alright then." Rumble shrugged. "Now can we go get some rations? I'm-"

 _Ding!_

Frenzy looked over to the computer. Normally it was turned off in a power-savings mode, but something had woke it up. Its screen glowed softly. He went over to investigate.

"What do you see?" Rumble asked.

"Hmm." Frenzy started typing. "Someone sent us a. . ."

His spark stopped and his digits froze, hovering over the keyboard.

"Bro?" Rumble got up and walked over. "Hey, is everything alright?"

He froze in his tracks as he got close enough to read the simple message.

 **Soundwave is alive. He's in the Shadow Zone, an alternate dimension. It might be possible to get him out.  
He's alive. He's alive. And he misses you.  
\- ###########**

 ****  
"Who sent this?" Rumble said quietly. "If this is some sort of twisted joke, someone's aft is gonna get kicked."

It took Frenzy a moment to respond. "The username is encrypted. Let me. . ."

The encryption was sloppily done, obviously the work of an absolute amateur. He cracked it quickly.

 **_User_Smokescreen_**

"Yeah, this is definitely some sort of joke." Rumble narrowed his optics. "Smokescreen."

Frenzy either did not hear the comment or did not care. He did not reply.

 _*Come on, bro. Give me a response.* Rumble asked._

 __Frenzy turned to him. _*The evidence all adds up.*_

 _*How?*_

 _*The words on the wall. "Still Alive". And, what I was going to tell you was that. . . I thought I heard a message from boss.*_

 _*A message from- wait.*_

 _*What?*_

 _*Primus fraggit, of course!*_

 _*Of course what-?!*_

 _*Knockout! Knockout knows!* Rumble shook him. *That's why-*_

 _*That's why what?!* Frenzy practically yelled._

 _*Knockout, Knockout must have known that Boss was alive! That's why he was guarded!*_

 _Frenzy paused._ _*And that's why Ratchet came from Earth to give our checkups, and Knockout was nowhere to be found. He was under arrest for "treason".*_

 _*We have to find Knockout. He'll know the truth!*_

 _*But, how? He's locked up, probably under high security. How the heck will we-*_

Rumble pointed up to a small grate on the wall.

 _*The vents, of course. Last time I checked, they even led to the holding cells.*_


	10. Chapter 10

The vents were extremely dusty, fogging up Rumble's optics. He stopped to rub them clear.

 _*Are you sure we're heading the right direction?* Frenzy asked from behind._

 _*Yes.* He responded in an eerily calm manner._

They continued to crawl.

 _*There it is.*_

Rumble could see through a small grate to his right. There was Knockout, sitting slumped against the wall of his cell, in stasis cuffs.

 _*This is it.*_

He undid the latch on the grate. It swung open into the room and creaked loudly.

Knockout flinched, looked up, and gasped. "What? Who's there?!"

Rumble jumped down, out of the vent. Frenzy followed.

"We need to know the truth." Frenzy said quietly.

"What are you doing here?! I can't-"

"Where. Is. Soundwave?"

"I can't tell you that. The Ultra Magnus would send me straight to the pit if I told you." Knockout spat. "Go away."

"He's in some place called the 'Shadow Zone', correct?" Frenzy glared.

Knockout looked shocked. That was more than enough of a response.

"I don't understand. Why would the Autobots-" Frenzy started.

"They're gonna pay for what they've done." Rumble grit his teeth. His servos started to shake.

"Rumble, wait-!"

"NO! No more waiting!" Tears sprung in his optics.

His arms transformed into pylons. His injured arm started to bleed.

And Rumble charged to the door, pylons extended.

 _THUD._

 _THUD._

 _THUD._

"What is going on?! Report!" Ultra Magnus demanded as he felt the ship shake under his feet.

The Vehicons had scattered as soon as the shaking began.

"Someone get a camera on the Minicons' quarters, now!" He ordered.

But no one would listen.

Ultra Magnus decided to comm the only members on board the ship that weren't cowards. "Bumblebee! Arcee! Smokescreen! Come to the bridge immediately."

Suddenly, the shaking stopped as soon as it started. The Vehicons, unsure of what to do, migrated slowly back to their assigned positions.

The door to the bridge opened as Bumblebee sprinted in.

"What's the situation, sir?" He asked.

"Where is Rumble?" Ultra Magnus replied.

"Last time I spoke with him was when I came to clear him from the Medbay. Frenzy helped him back to their quarters."

"Where is he now?"

"Not sure, sir."

Bumblebee walked to a computer, and signaled for the Vehicon working their to move. He brought up the security cameras, and checked the one for the Minicons' quarters.

"They're not in there." He replied in slight alarm.

"Find them!"

Bumblebee continued typing as Arcee entered the bridge.

"Knockout is not in his cell." She reported. "The door has been smashed off, and is laying across the hall on the ground. There's two clear pylon marks on it, sir."

"Rumble must have helped him escape." Ultra Magnus narrowed his optics and accessed the central computer. He turned on the intercom. "Code purple, code purple. I repeat: this is a code purple!"

An alarm began blaring. Vehicons scuffled about to their emergency positions.

"What defense systems does this ship have against on board attackers?" Ultra Magnus asked a hurrying Vehicon.

"Uh, we have wall-mounted turrets, and um, hallway sweepers." The Vehicon replied. "But they can't distinguish friend from foe-"

"Thank you. Bumblebee, get a fix on Rumble's position. Arcee, find Smokescreen." Ultra Magnus ordered.

Arcee was about to exit when the door opened and Smokescreen came running through.

"Woah, what's going on? The alarm is on and everything." He started as the door closed behind him.

"No time for questions. Rumble has gone rogue and has helped Knockout escape." Arcee gave him a warm welcome.

"Smokescreen, what do you know of the situation?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"I-I mean, I could feel the shaking, but, um, yeah, um. . ." He tried to respond.

"Are you certain-?"

"Sir! I've got a fix on his location." Bumblebee called from the computer.

"Where?"

"He's- he's right on top of us!"

The door opened.

Suddenly, the ground shook wildly, throwing everyone to their hands and knees.

Rumble ran in, dripping a trail of Energon behind him.

"Give him back!" He stopped in the center of the bridge. "Or I'll bring this entire ship to the ground!"

Frenzy sprinted in after him. "Rumble, Rumble wait-"

 _THUD!_

The quake knocked everyone in the room onto their hands and knees.

Bumblebee scrambled back up and pulled out his blasters. "Stop. If you don't, I will be forced to-"

"If you send me to the pit, you're coming with me!" Rumble readied his pylons again for another strike.

"Wait, a-are you sure about this-" Frenzy tried to whisper.

 _THUD!_

"I want Boss back. Give him to me." Rumble stiffled a sob. "Give him to me. . . and I might let you LIVE!"

 _THUD!_

A loud groan could be felt, from deep inside the ship.

Ultra Magnus's comm rang. He glanced down and answered.

A Vehicon mechanic sputtered. "Sir, I'm not sure what's going on up there, but another hit like that and the starboard engine might quit. Her repairs won't hold for long, sir."

The call ended. Ultra Magnus looked up slowly.

"Bumblebee, put your weapons away." He ordered.

"But, sir-"

"It appears we're at. . . an impasse." He took a deep breath. "What do you want?"

The two Minicons were silent for a moment before Frenzy spoke.

"We want you to free Soundwave from the Shadow Zone, and clear him of all charges. Then you will leave us alone."

Ultra Magnus avoided eye contact. He glanced over to Bumblebee and Arcee. The look in their optics was impossible to read. Smokescreen, however, seemed to be frozen in terror. Or was it guilt?

"And in return?" Ultra Magnus replied.

"You will never see him- Or us, for the matter -ever again. We will leave you in peace. I swear." Frenzy's voice rose as Rumble tensed.

There was a moment of pause.

"We will consider your offer."

"NO!" Rumble raised his pylons. "You either do it now or say good-bye!"

"Give me a moment to concur with my crew, before you destroy us all." Ultra Magnus gave him a glare, and then turned to his officers.

Bumblebee looked past him. "This isn't worth losing our lives over."

"I agree." Said Arcee.

"Smokescreen?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"I vote yes. It's been cruel to keep them separate from Soundwave." He replied in full seriousness.

Ultra Magnus looked at him, but decided that wasn't important at the moment. "Alright. Bring up the equation to open up a groundbridge into the Shadow Zone."

There was tense silence as Bumblebee prepared the groundbridge. Ultra Magnus moved off to the side where the rest of the Autobots were standing.

"It's ready. Should I open it, sir?" Bumblebee asked.

"What are you waiting for?!" Rumble snapped.

The groundbridge opened. Sparks came erratically shooting out, and the colors were off. It warped and vibrated.

The entire world seemed to hold its breath.

At first, all he saw was green. A groundbridge had opened up in front of him. But this one. . this one was different than the normal ones. This one seemed to be in his realm. . .

He hesitated. What if this was just a hallucination? What if this was another trick of his own mind? Was any of this even real?

Soundwave blindly walked into the light.

Seconds seemed like hours as the Rumble saw the groundbridge swirl ahead of him. Nothing was happening.

Suddenly, sound. A loud crack echoed throughout the room. It looked like the bridge was trying to suck something into existence.

Light. The groundbridge flashed, and then went out. Rumble covered his optics.

 _*I'm. . . back?* A voice linked quietly._

Rumble uncovered his optics and gasped.

It was almost hard to recognize his carrier. He looked like he's been through the pit and back. Scratches and scars covered his plating. His Decepticon symbols had been clawed over so badly they was barely recognizable. But most startling was that a part of his visor was missing, broken, revealing a single optic.

"Boss!" Rumble put away his pylons and ran forward. Frenzy followed.

Soundwave knelt down, and flinched when Frenzy and Rumble ran right into him and hugged him.

"By the Allspark, Boss, you're alive, you're alive, you're here. . ." Frenzy couldn't stop talking.

"I-I missed you so much!" Rumble sobbed.

 _*This is. . . real.* Soundwave seemed to be talking to himself. *This is all real.*_

"Yes! Yes! I'm right here. You're right here." Rumble hugged even harder.

 _*Right here.* Frenzy echoed._

They stayed there for a some time. The world seemed frozen around them. Nothing moved, nothing mattered. They were finally here. Together.

Ultra Magnus gave an awkward cough. Soundwave's grip on his Minicons loosened. He stood up, and Frenzy and Rumble turned around.

The Autobots stood in front of them. Ultra Magnus and Bumblebee were emotionless. Arcee looked oddly remorseful. Smokescreen wiped a tear from his optic.

 _*Are you ready?* Soundwave asked his symbiotes._

 _*More than anything.* They replied in unison._

And for the first time in centuries, Soundwave spoke.

"Rumble: dock. Frenzy: dock."

On cue, the twins jumped and transformed to their docking stations on Soundwave's legs.

 _*I've forgotten how comfortable this is!* Rumble remarked, settling into his familiar spot._

 _*We aced the landing, didn't we boss?* Frenzy laughed._

Soundwave couldn't keep from smiling. Thankfully, what remained of his visor still covered his mouth.

He turned his attention to the Autobots. They were in shock.

"Did- did he just. . ?" Smokescreen asked.

"So, Soundwave." Ultra Magnus began. "Are you going to uphold what Frenzy negotiated?"

Soundwave nodded before plotting coordinates for a groundbridge.

The door to the bridge opened. The Autobots turned around.

"What did I. . . miss?" Knockout trailed off as he saw Soundwave.

The Autobots gave him an awkward stare.

"Well, I'll just let you get right back to that, then." He backpedaled out of the room. Smokescreen snorted.

When the Autobots turned around again, Soundwave was already gone.

"I wonder where he went?" Arcee asked softly.

"He could be anywhere on Cybertron, as far as we know." Bumblebee replied.

Smokescreen gave a nervous smile. "Right. Absolutely anywhere. . ."


	11. Chapter 11

Smokescreen relaxed as the bridge closed behind him. As far as he knew, he hadn't been followed. Hopefully.

He looked up at the ruins before him. The Iacon Hall of Records. The place where this had all started. He took a deep breath, opened the door, and entered.

The long stretch of hall before the main chamber was lit nicely with makeshift lamps, which were new additions. No rubble was on the floor cracked pillars had been, for the most part, mended. Someone had been putting a lot of time and effort into making this place look a little neater.

He approached the door at the end. His servos started shaking. He looked down at the handle.

He had guessed that Soundwave would have come back here. The Autobots had completely lost interest of the "Iacon ghost" when the whole. . . incident had happened. Now it was just a forgotten detail in the log books. It was the perfect place to continue hiding.

Smokescreen looked around nervously, before putting a servo on the handle. He summoned all of his courage and gently pulled, only to find that it was locked.

Paranoid thoughts came bubbling into his head again. How would Soundwave react to him coming here? Would he attack? Would he flee?

In a sudden lapse of judgement, he tapped three quick knocks on the door.

There was chatter on the other side, but he couldn't pick out words. He tensed when the door opened.

He didn't see anyone. Then he looked down.

"Well, whadaya know?"

It was Rumble, holding the door with one hand. His other arm was in a cast.

Smokescreen's mouth gaped open. No words came out.

"Bro, who's at the door-?"

Frenzy walked into the field of view through the crack of the door, holding a stack of datapads. He nearly dropped them as he came over.

"Smokescreen's here." Rumble shrugged, then turned. "What's up?"

Smokescreen stayed frozen.

"Well gee, he looks terrified." Frenzy said. "What do you reckon he's here for?"

"I came- to see- how you- were doing-!" He spurted in a rapid-fire sentence.

"Woah, woah. Calm down." Rumble laughed.

"We weren't expecting you to drop by, but. . . I mean, based off of what Boss told us, you'd know where to find us."

Smokescreen hesitated. "Yeah."

"Well alright, come on in." Rumble opened the door wider.

Frenzy glanced at his brother. Rumble slightly shrugged back, before opening the door all the way. Smokescreen stepped in.

Natural sunlight streamed into the room, lighting it enough so that the datapads no longer glowed. The shelves looked even fuller and more organized than before. There were two Minicon-sized chairs, and another larger one beside them. Soundwave was sitting in it, reading a datapad.

Soundwave looked up. The single optic that was uncovered by the broken visor seemed to stare straight into him. Smokescreen froze up again.

The optic softened. Soundwave put the datapad down on a nearby end table, and got up from his seat.

"Hey Boss, guess who came to say hi?" Rumble walked past Smokescreen.

Soundwave gave a quick nod, and walked towards him.

It took all of Smokescreen's courage to stay standing in that one spot. Which meant there was no courage left to keep the expression of fear off his face.

Soundwave slowed down, and gave him a curious glance.

"I- uh- I-" Smokescreen babbled. He was wordless. What could he say?

"Boss asks why you came here." Frenzy said.

Smokescreen took a deep breath. "I came to see how you guys were doing. After all that mess a couple weeks ago."

Soundwave looked around, and then set his gaze on him.

"Boss wants to know if the Autobots know."

"Know what- oh." Smokescreen gave a nervous chuckle. "About what I. . ."

"About what you did for us. Yeah." Rumble chimed in. "Boss wouldn't stop worrying about you and Knockout, worried that because you helped him, the Autobots might-"

Frenzy gave him a quick glare, which cut him off.

"Ultra Magnus would never do such a. . ."

Soundwave bristled slightly.

"Right. Sorry." Smokescreen shook his head. "I'm- I'm still getting over that. No. I don't think anyone knows. Well, no one's told me they know, anyway."

Soundwave relaxed again. There was a moment of pause.

"Boss wants to know why you helped us. Why you did it." Frenzy said.

"I, well, uh." Smokescreen rubbed his head.

Why did he do it? Why did he help them? That was the question he had been sitting on for weeks.

"Because Optimus would have done it." He looked Soundwave straight in the optic. "Optimus would have never left anyone in some wacko dimension." He then glanced down at the twins. "Or kept friends needlessly separated."

The words sank in. Soundwave looked satisfied, and walked away.

"Yeah." Rumble said to break the silence. "Thanks."

More silence.

"Right. Do you wanna check out the collection?" Frenzy gestured towards the shelves. "I've made some new additions."

"Yeah, this nerd likes to write." Rumble lightly punched his brother in the arm.

Smokescreen laughed, grateful for the change in topic. "Sounds good."

He wasn't much of a reader, but he would use anything to get away from the awkwardly standing there. There were a couple new datapads that he hadn't seen before, and he gave them a quick look over.

After a while, he stood up from the shelves.

"Hey, guys, I have to go. Someone's going to get suspicious if I'm gone for too long." He said as he turned around.

"No problem." Rumble said.

Soundwave came out of the corner as Smokescreen walked to the door.

"You're welcome to come back whenever. The archive is always open." Frenzy said without looking up from the datapads he was organizing.

Smokescreen stood beside the door and opened it. he was about to leave when Soundwave came up. Smokescreen turned.

"Yeah, what is it-?"

"Thank you."

Smokescreen's optics went wide. His mouth moved, but no words came out. He stepped back without thinking, out of the room. The door closed in front of him.

He stood for some time, staring at the blank door, before calling for a groundbridge back to the ship.


End file.
